As Christmas quickly encroaches upon us (it’s 7 days away!), I know many of you might be bustling around crowded malls or scouring the web to find gifts for loved ones. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this holiday season isn’t only about exchanging gifts and seeing our loved ones smile, but it’s also about being kind and generous to others who may not be as fortunate as the rest of us.

For those of you who are still on the hunt for gifts, you may want to consider gifts that actually give back to a specific cause. For example, as a present to my grandma, I have donated to the Stanford Cancer Institute, where my grandpa was treated, in her honor. It’s as if she donated the funds to the center herself, and she’ll receive a letter in the mail informing her that a donation was made in her honor and a little written note from me.

As gifts to your loved ones, you might not even have to make these gifts their ‘entire’ present. You could always just donate 5 or 10 dollars in their honor to a cause that they may be passionate about. This is the season of giving, and so if you don’t have time to volunteer locally and whatnot, sometimes this is another way to give back to society.

Below are a few nonprofit organizations that allow you to donate in honor of someone as a gift and short blurbs describing what their missions are. Click on the subheadings and they’ll lead you to where you can do more research.

1. World Vision

This is a humanitarian organization that supports multiple causes of poverty and injustice all around the world. You can choose to donate specifically towards supplying medication and lifesaving supplies to countries that need them, clean water, clothes to children in the U.S, etc. The causes vary and you have a wide range of options.

If you plan on donating only 5 or 10 dollars, consider looking into their Gifts that Multiply. One gift of $5 may be matched and multiplied by 10 or 12 through the support of corporate partners.

Note: Actually, as a gift to my students this year, they got to research the causes and choose the ones they were most passionate about so that I could make a donation in their honor. I’m hoping it taught them a little something about being kind, selfless, and generous.

2. World Wildlife Fund

This foundation is focused on the environment and all of the species that thrive in it. The WWF is all about conserving nature and reducing threats to Earth’s diversity. If you have a loved one passionate about preserving nature and various wildlife, this foundation would be the one to donate to.

You can make a one time donation or ‘adopt’ different endangered species, and your money would go towards protecting them and their habitats! Save the pandas, elephants, wolves, etc.!

3. American Kidney Fund

This is a nonprofit organization where money goes towards researching kidney disease, helping people fight kidney disease, and  helping people lead healthier lives.

My other grandpa suffered from kidney failure, and so this organization is one that is near and dear to my family. According to charity navigator, it has been rated with 4 stars.

4. American Refugee Committee

This organization is also rated 4 stars on charity navigator. It provides support to displaced refugees and helps them rebuild their lives. With all of the mayhem occurring in Syria and in many parts of the world, this organization helps provide provide refugees with what they mostly need. If you were to choose only one organization to donate to, I think this one might be the most prevalent.

5. American Heart Association

Most people have heard of this organization. This organization strives to help people build healthier lives that are free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

They help teach people how to live healthier lives, train people in CPR, and educate people on how to prevent these diseases.

Note:

These are only a few of the organizations that you can do gift donations to. They’ve all been highly rated on Charity Navigator and I’ve personally donated to these charities at least once before.

Consider giving a gift that’ll give back to so many others! If you have children, this is a good opportunity to have them look into these various charities and think about other people that they can help. What a wonderful lesson about showing kindness and generosity, don’t you think?

Happy Holidays! Stay happy and healthy y’all!